


Legends Never Die

by fakeheaux



Category: One Direction (Band), Zayn Malik (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff and Crack, Lilac Niall, Niall-centric, OT5 Friendship, Polytheism, Worldbuilding, as always, idk what this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-02
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-28 18:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7652869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fakeheaux/pseuds/fakeheaux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>i have no idea what this is i heard a song and really liked it don't have me...this went in a totally different direction than i had intended and that's why it's tagged as crack</p><p>title and general fic inspo from legends never die by ferras</p>
    </blockquote>





	Legends Never Die

**Author's Note:**

> i have no idea what this is i heard a song and really liked it don't have me...this went in a totally different direction than i had intended and that's why it's tagged as crack
> 
> title and general fic inspo from legends never die by ferras

* * *

In the end, it all came down to Niall. Which was surprising, really, seeing as he never does anything that's really important. His abilities have never been anything to hoot and holler about. Standard magic, just like everyone else. He's average, and all that.

In all retrospect, that right there should have been indicator enough that it would be up to him.

He looks at the rest of the boys in the compartment, all spread out and sleeping. Harry's dressed in a wild arrangement of crazily colored robes, as per, spread out on the top bunk. Liam's right below him, in his usual simple tunic. Louis is cuddled into Liam's side, his own clothes much more modern, like Niall's.

And Zayn, who stayed behind.

He'd refused Niall's offer of a new home, one where he could be himself and not worry about his surroundings. Said the gods would never forgive him if he stayed near civilization, not after what he did. Niall knew he was just afraid to face what he'd done. Or maybe he was just projecting. He doesn't believe in the gods, thinks it's just a bunch of bullshit that the Enforcers use to try to keep everyone in line. 

Well. Used.

The Enforcers don't really exist anymore, do they, what with Niall and the lads exposing them for the power grabbers they were. No one had ever doubted it, everyone knew the Enforcers were a load of shite, but no one dared go against them. The boys hadn't even been _trying_ to tear them down on their little quest; that was just coincidence. Who knew that looking for a lost deity would lead to fall of an regime. Not them.

Sighing, Niall adjusts his position in the uncomfortable chair he's perched in. He'd offered to keep watch over the boys, seeing as they still can't be sure they're not being followed, even if Zayn did put that protective charm on them. He still can't quite believe that Zayn stayed behind. Zayn, who'd been the one to bring them together in the first place. Who'd kept them together and discouraged them from quitting and going back home. Granted, they only went looking for the goddess Mira because of him, but. He'd been their rock, in simplest terms.

"He wasn't, you know," a voice mumbles. Niall starts, head whipping towards the bunk beds. Harry's staring at him dopily, green eyes wide and round in that way they get when he reads someone's mind. "You were, really. Don't know how many times you kept us from tearing out each other's throats. You even stopped Louis from jumping off the cliff -"

Niall scoffs. "That hardly counts, Harry." He shakes his head, looking out the window of the train. "He was under the influence of hypnohollies; all it took was a little bit of gentle persuasion. The rest of you were just too busy freaking out about it to realize that."

Harry doesn't move, still on his side with his limbs folded over each other. He blinks. "Exactly. You kept your head in every situation that we lost ours. That's what's kept us together, not Zayn and his inspirational speeches that he probably got off the Stone." He shrugs, as much as one can while lying down. "It was all you, Niall."

Eyes suddenly wet, Niall shakes his head again, laughing breathily. "Gods," he murmurs, "you Telkies are so fucking weird."

When he doesn't get a response, he glances over at Harry.

He's fast asleep, as if he'd never woken up.

* * *

 

The news spreads fast, a rumor of five boys, from all three Regions, defeating the Enforcers once and for all. Everywhere they go, they get funny looks, but no one approaches them. They're only four, after all, and everyone's hearing five.

The rumor evolves as they travel back to the place where it all began. First they hear that the five boys were under the influence of the Telkie Elders. Then that the boys had just gotten lucky during a hunting trip. At one point a drunken wizard slurred some ridiculous tale of them being high on hypnohollies the entire time. Louis had paled, and practically begged them to leave the small pub.

But the one thing the rumors never get wrong, Niall notices, is how, exactly, the Enforcers came to an end. Somehow they all know it was at the hand of a lilac-haired wizard from the Region Draíochta, one who was only trying to protect the four others he was with. He ends up wearing his hood up for the rest of their journey, fed up with the curious looks people throw at him as they pass.

It takes them three trains to get to Region Telkie, Harry's home. When they pull into the last station, the platform is flooded with cheering Telkies, all wearing the same gaudy robes as Harry. He grins when he sees them, and Niall can practically _feel_ the rush of _homelovefamily_ that enters Harry. He's probably doing it on purpose, the brat. Harry's from the more privileged area of his Region, used to being allowed to use his abilities however and whenever he wants.

The train doors open, and a wall of noise attacks them. The Telkies are all cheering for them, their words slurred together by the sheer volume of what they're saying. They know it has to be for them, the boys. It's late into the night, so late it's early, and they're the only ones on the train.

Louis laughs loudly. "How d'you think they found out?" he asks over the cheers. Liam grins crookedly.

"They're Telkies, aren't they?" he asks in response. "They know everything."

Niall can't help but roll his eyes. _Fucking Telkies_ , he thinks.

Harry suddenly appears behind him. "Don't say that, Niall, or else they'll stop cheering for you," he says into Niall's ear. They don't stop cheering, though, only pull them out of the train and shuffle them into a wagon being pulled by pegasus. The noise level drops considerably when the door shuts, and Harry grins.

"They're probably taking us to meet the Elders," he whispers. "I've always wanted to meet them. When I was a kid they used to tell us these stories about them, yeah, where..."

Niall stops paying attention, wondering instead about what the Elders could possibly want with them. They hold the greatest amount of power of anyone in the three Regions, second only to the Enforcers, who had been dark wizards. No one knows where the Elders came from, how they got their power, only that centuries ago they appeared in Region Telkie and spread their abilities throughout everyone there. People feared them for a long while, until they realized their new powers were beneficial, rather than detrimental.

Distantly, Niall thinks back to when Zayn had told him that story. He'd been so excited, reading it out of one of the forbidden history books he'd somehow gotten a hold of. Niall hadn't had the heart to tell him he already knew the story.

They come to a sudden stop, all jolting roughly. Harry swings the door open without a second thought, and they're met with the grandest sight they've gotten so far on their journey.

A large palace towers above them, intricately sculpted with beautiful design and detail, as is the way of the Telkies. Staircases protrude from towers, snaking through the air and leading to some mystery place elsewhere. Birds and other creatures of vibrant colors fly in and out of the windows and doors, around turrets and staircases, looking like a colorful storm. The windows are light up in different colors, and Niall's breath is taken away.

_Zayn would have loved this._

"Indeed he would have, young man," a warm old voice says. They all look to the source, an old crooked man with thinning hair and wrinkled features, with robes that are worn but no less exotic. He smiles warmly at Niall. "Your one in particular sacrificed much to ensure you would be safe. He was not wrong in staying behind."

Louis makes a strange noise, low in his throat. "One in particular?" he asks. "Surely he doesn't mean -"

"The young sorcerer, yes," the old man grins, nodding. "He and your witch friend here had quite the bond; I'm sure the young Telkie had no trouble noticing it."

Harry blushes furiously, nodding. "I - I did, actually, I just didn't know if I should have said anything -"

The old man nods. "You were correct in doing so, young one. Your gifts are strong, and you use them wisely. Yes, I think you will do quite well."

Gaping, Harry blinks. "Do what quite well?"

But the old man just smiles, eyes crinkling into little half moons, and turns. He begins to hobble off, looking over his shoulder at them. "Well, come on."

Liam and Harry obediently follow, but Louis stays behind, staring at Niall. "What's he mean, one in particular?"

Niall shakes his head. "You wouldn't have approved; you were brought up differently. We didn't want to upset you -"

"So you two were - were together, then?" Louis snaps. He shakes his head, betrayed. "I can't believe this."

"Louis," Niall calls, but he's walking off, after the other three. Niall sighs and follows.

The old man leads them to a large room, where the centerpiece is a large round table, occupied by fourteen more old people, all dressed the same. Harry inhales sharply; they've been granted an audience with the Telkie Elders, which only happens when you've done something great enough to change the path of the Regions permanently. Their old man gestures for them to sit, and takes a seat himself. They all sit, wondering what will happen.

"Well," says their old man. "You all have got quite the story to tell us, haven't you?"

They require no further instruction, immediately recounting the tale of their journey. They take turns, speaking up when another falters. It takes them a surprisingly little amount of time to tell the story, and it startles Niall. Makes him feel like what they went through was not that monumental after all. That their journey, which felt like months, probably only happened in a day or two.

Their old man keeps a steady eye on him, and he squirms in his seat. Fucking Telkies.

The old man grins.

When they've finished, the Elders all turn to each other. There's a strange bending in the air as they communicate without speaking, and Niall can see Harry struggling to keep up with what they're saying. His eyes are narrowed, darting between each of the Elders, and they occasionally widen in surprise.

They all rise when they've finished, and gesture for the boys to do the same. They lead the boys out to a balcony, where a crowd of mixed Regions citizens are waiting with hopeful gazes. Their old man steps forward, arms raised.

"We present to you, the new leaders of the three Regions!" he booms, voice echoing across the entire crowd. The people are quiet for a moment, then they burst into deafening cheers. The boys get pushed closer to the railing, eliciting a swell of noise big enough to make Niall's head swim. The old man raises his hands again, and the crowd quiets. "For years," he says, "we have waited for the tyrannical rule of the Enforcers to be put to an end. We prayed to our gods, and were met with meek answers that could help no one. We set out to destroy the Enforcers ourselves, and were slaughtered by the thousands. Now, these four boys have returned from a daring journey, having experienced love, danger, and most devastatingly, loss, tenfold what we have. These four boys have returned victorious, which can mean only one thing."

He turns slightly, meeting Niall's eye. He winks. "Only they are worthy of the power the Enforcers unfairly took from us. Only they can right the wrongs we have been dealing with for generations. Only they can restore the three Regions to their former glory. Only they are worthy of the title of _legends_!" 

And he says it with such pride, such belief in the boys, that tears prick at Niall's eyes. They don't deserve this, not without Zayn. He shakes his head, looking down at his feet. Louis slings an arm around his shoulders.

"Well," he says into Niall's ear. "You what they say. Legends never die."

* * *

 

They each are given a Region to reign over, the ones where they hailed from. Harry, the Region Telkie. Niall, the Region Draíochta, and Liam and Louis, the Region Foraoise. Surprisingly, they take well to their new roles. The gods open up communication, so as not to have a repeat of the Enforcers. The boys each bring prosperity to their own Region in different ways, and are commended for it.

Harry finds his one in particular, and Louis and Liam stick with each other. Niall, unable to move past what he and Zayn had, no matter brief, refuses to take a one in particular, and chooses an heir based of the magical performance of an array of students.

They do well, and at the turn of every century, they reunite to celebrate the defeat of the Enforcers. They drink, they fight, and in the end, they always come back to each other. Niall has never been more proud to be a part of a brotherhood.

They don't hear of Zayn again.

**Author's Note:**

> like i said i don't KNOOOW


End file.
